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William Branham's "life stories" include a sob story about his father dying while he was just a child. This, according to William Branham, was the reason he had to hunt and trap to support his nine (or ten) siblings.

And there was a fine scholar walked up to me, said, "Brother Branham", said, "your grammar's terrible." I said, "Yes, sir. I know that." I said, "I just had a seventh grade education. My father had died and I had to take care of ten..." Branham, 52-0810A - I Am The Resurrection And The Life

Seventh grade was as far as I got in school. I had to go to work, take care of nine children. My father wasn't very healthy, died young, and I had to work. I never got my education Branham, 51-0719 - Who Hath Believed Our Report?

But according to Charles' death certificate, he died in 1936. This was three full years after the alleged 1933 baptism event and the alleged 1932 prophecies being buried in the cornerstone of his Tabernacle. Branham was already a Pentecostal minister for several years, and his siblings were already old enough to support themselves. His younger brother Jesse Branham was nineteen years old at the time of his father's death.

In 1936, Branham's siblings were mostly grown men or deceased: * Winford was dead. * Melvin was 26. * Edgar was 23. * Jesse was 19. * Charles Jr. was 17 * William Branham was age 27

Did William Branham quit school at age 27 to care for grown men?

Why would William Branham be dishonest about his own father's death? And why would he claim that he died while all of the children were still needing care? Was this an appeal to the emotions of the crowd?

And why would William Branham be dishonest about the cause of death? To promote his teetotalism doctrine (which he broke at 'communion'), Branham claimed that his father died from alcohol:

My father died at fifty-two; drinking killed him. Branham, 56-0122 - The Junction Time

Not only did William Branham get his father's age at death incorrect, Branham told his congregation an incorrect CAUSE of death. According to the death certificate, his father died of Pulmonary Edema, Rheumatic heart disease. Dr. Sam Adair, Branham's close friend, performed the examination.

So why did William Branham make this claim? Throughout his ministry, William Branham painted hypnotic pictures of men in the Bible, comparing their personalities and even inventing personalities that he could compare to himself. Once he convinced the listeners that each Bible figure was "just like himself," then anything he said about those men was programming to the listeners -- they applied those statements to William Branham.

"I spoke a few moments ago about John the Baptist. I'd like to say something else before leaving that. You know, John was kind of an odd child. We don't have too much history about his life. We know his father was a priest out of a school of learning, Zechariah. His mother was Elisabeth, just a common housewife. They were old, and God appeared to him one day by the Angel Gabriel and give him a promise of the child. And it must have been kind of sad to the old couple's hearts, because they knowed that that boy was going to be God's leader. He was going to be the man of the hour. They knowed that he'd go through all kinds of trials and tribulations, and people against him, and everything, 'cause they're always that way. If they're not, there's something wrong with the time. That's right. So then, we find out that it must've been kind of heartbreaking to the old couple, knowing that they was going to have to die and leave this boy, before they seen this son of theirs come into his full anointing to be the--the fore--the leader, or rather, the forerunner of the coming Messiah. They believed that, and they perhaps told him that. Now, when John was yet in his youth, his father and mother died. And it was strange. This young man that God had called, isn't it very strange that he didn't go over to the same order of religion that his father belonged to?" - Branham, 62-0529

Was John the Baptist the "Man of the Hour," or was Jesus Chist? Was William Branham dishonest about the timing of his father's death to convince his listeners that he was another "John the Baptist?" Is this type of dishonesty the way of a "true prophet of God?"

New records on our government documents page! And more to come! Stay tuned!